I can remember back in the 70's before I was an Anutter,I had just started driving and when I had nothing to do but waste time and gas, I would drive to Kennedy Airport and sit on the roof of the old Pan Am terminal and watch those beautiful 72's and 74's just sitting there. I took out my old video camera and could shoot freely, pilots would wave at me from the cockpits......it was just a great place to kill a few hours smelling jet fuel and watching the action at JFK. Thanks to terrorists, those days are gone for good and I think it really sucks that our children can't experience a thing like that these days. I was wondering if anyone else has a story or a memory from the old days at JFK................

I only wish I was alive to experience those days!!! In fact, the atmosphere of aviation in the 70s is the the exact inspiration for my a.net username.

JFK in particular, what with the beautiful and exhilarating architecture of T5 and the saga of TWA, is something I long to have experienced. May the jet fuel linger in your mind for the rest of time... hopefully I can try hard enough to imagine- yes, merely imagine- what it was like.

Thank you to the mean people who think killing others is God's (of any religion) calling.

On a side note... how did you get on top of the PanAm building? That is the current Delta terminal, correct?

the good ol' days. Before I could drive I'd take a taxi from Long Island to JFK on Saturdays just to see what was going on. I too would sit on the roof of Pan Am's "WorldPort" and watch JFK's aircraft movements.

Good memories include being able to go on the AF Concorde; Braniff's DC-8; BA's VC10; AA's 747 among others. Other memories include seeing the "exotic" IL62's of the Eastern bloc and now defunct airlines like "Montana Austrian".

Yes, the good ol' days where people didn't just work in aviation for a paycheck...they worked their for the love of the industry.

If already in the terminal, one could take a number of elevators to roof-top parking, and as discussed, this location was ideal for spending the day watching "the action"! Seeing the constant european arrivals starting in early afternoon on 4R was quite a thrill! There was always a small group of people, either in cars, or on foot, with scanners watching the action on 4R or 31L/13R.

I agree that seeing JFK back in the 1970s would have been something... however, even today JFK is one of the most interesting airports in the world, and there are still good places from which to view the action, even if off-airport. That European bank beginning in the early afternoon still takes place, and there's a healthy mix of Asian and South American traffic thrown into the mix for some variety. You can still see a fair number of 747s, although it's probably nothing now in that regard like it was in Pan Am days.

I can also remember National Airlines..now Jetblue and I am in there a lot.......my friend and I were 18 years old, we thought we were so cool getting on a flight there to go to Florida. I was also on a TWA 707 once and my only time....can still remember how loud those engines were on takeoff. And, Eastern Airlines........the 727 Whisperjet ! Maybe it was because I was young but JFK was like Disney to me back then. And a few times was on Pan Am 747-100's..........Yep, they were good old days........So now at this age, when spotting at JFK, whenever I get harrassed by a cop, or see somone in the Costco parking lot walking away looking back at me while on a cellphone, I kind of want to say, "You don't understand why I love being here"

Airbusrider - while I'm sure we never met, we probably saw each other on that rooftop.

It was indeed one of the best places ever to watch aircraft - watching the Concorde roar down 31L on her dptr roll is probably one of the greatest sights I've ever seen as a spotter. As you noted, there were no security concerns except for the occasional EL AL security guard that would wander by, but I made friends with them....

You could just drive up to the roof and park....a little expensive, perhaps, but it was money well spent...Those days are gone forever, unfortunatly..kids will never be able to get close to airliners...smell the fuel, experience the whine and roar of engines and probably not get interested in aviation as readily as we did....what a shame!

Quoting AIRBUSRIDER (Thread starter):I can remember back in the 70's before I was an Anutter,I had just started driving and when I had nothing to do but waste time and gas, I would drive to Kennedy Airport and sit on the roof of the old Pan Am terminal and watch

Wasn't that beautiful? I worked off Rockaway Blvd these days and when I had time I just drove up to the PanAm rooftop parking. Good memories of times that will never come back. No ID required when going into cargo warehouses and the only hazard was when you resisted to have your company join the Teamsters Local 295. You'd better not refused that offer they made.

The old Holiday Inn with Pete the Bartender, The Owl and Han's Delikatessen, good times and sweet memories....

Quoting 70sflyer (Reply 1):On a side note... how did you get on top of the PanAm building? That is the current Delta terminal, correct

If you ever drop somebody off at Terminal 3, you will see a ramp leading up to the rooftop parking that is blocked off....

Quoting Cs03 (Reply 4):If already in the terminal, one could take a number of elevators to roof-top parking, a

If you get in those elevators today, are the buttons for rooftop parking still there and just disabled or what?

Quoting Ordpark (Reply 7):You could just drive up to the roof and park....a little expensive, perhaps, but it was money well spent...Those days are gone forever, unfortunatly..kids will never be able to get close to airliners...smell the fuel, experience the whine and roar of engines and probably not get interested in aviation as readily as we did....what a shame!

I still often park on the rooftop of the T1/2/3/ parking lot...It's not nearly the same as the Pan Am rooftop parking (of which I do have memories despite my young age), but it is still a great spot to watch the action at JFK, still one of the world's most interesting airports.

Quoting PanHAM (Reply 8):I worked off Rockaway Blvd these days and when I had time I just drove up to the PanAm rooftop parking

Where did you work there?

"Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon"

What I loved about the main international terminal at JFK was that each major airline had its own section of the terminal to which you drove up to for all departing flights. Entry was on the ground floor, where you checked in, then took an escalator up to the second floor which was the departure floor. On the ground side, each airline designed and decorated its own concourse (or section ) as it deemed fit. The best were SAS, Air India, KLM.

I was fortunate enough to have worked at JFK for 21 years. I parked on the Wolrdport rooftop every day and our Service Control office overlooked the entire ramp area from the south side of the Wolrdport. In fact it was from the rooftop that I witnessed EA 66 crash and burn. I never thought I'd be able to top the view from up there, but once I was transfered to MIA, we managed to lease the old control tower from DCAD and set up shop in the cab. Now that was view.

When I was around 18, I briefly worked for an aircraft cleaning company at JFK called "Allied".........I showed up at night by mistake for work one time, and instead of sending me home, they gave me a truck, and sent me out to sweep some of the air stairs (just busy work I guess).........anyhow, here I am at midnight, driving around the airport all by myself looking for airstairs to sweep. I am at the top of one of these units sweeping, when an Air India 74 taxies right past me! I felt pretty small out there all alone but I remember the awesome site that it was. Another time, they put me in charge of cleaning the cockpit windows of a Finnair DC-10. I was the coolest guy there, sitting in the Captain's seat with my Windex!........It would be interesting these days to see someone driving around the airport in the middle of the night with a broom .........They would probably shoot you !!!

I remember as a teenager taking the subway out to Queens and then the Q-10 bus that stopped at all the terminals - my favorite was of course, the Worldport.

It seems like it was only yesterday that I would stand on the roof watching the wonderful 707's and 720B's from Avianca, Ecuatoriana, Montana-Austria, TMA-Lebanon (green fuselage with yellow tail!), IL-62's from Aeroflot, CSA-Czechoslovakian, LOT-Polish, DC-8's from Viasa, KLM, Swissair, or BOAC VC-10's, and later on the PanAm and Saudia 747SP's.

Quoting Avianca707359B (Reply 16):king the subway out to Queens and then the Q-10 bus that stopped at all the terminals -

this brings back a lot of memories. My first appartment was on Lefferts Blvd near Metropolitan Avenue. The first couple of weeks I took the Q10 to Building 82. Later on it was the Van Wyck by car every morning, from Forest Hills.

There are just some things that NO ONE but us "a.nutters" understand....and this is one of them. I kid you not, i have said time and time again that if i could go back, just for ONE night to TWA's T5 i would be the happiest man alive. Back to a futuristic time period where people got dressed up to travel, and a flight was something of prestige; it gives me butterflies just thinking about it. Although i understand that times change and people must move on, i cant help but believe that the class and elegance of air travel brought forward by the 70's holds at least some drive for each member here....the difference is that this small group of us whom still see air travel this way seem to have all found each other and created this community....i love it.

Its funny, whenever i travel anywhere, i still get dressed up as though I'm going to a nice restaurant...perhaps just to pretend as though that prestige still exists today.

I was actually going to visit family back in my hometown of England last March, and we flew BOS-LGAJFK-LHR LHR-MAN (It was a last min. trip and thats all we could get.....just a tip, never transfer from LGA-JFK; its a nightmare LOL). Now, i've flown hundreds of times all over the world, but as we drove up to JFK i remember getting so excited, like i have never done before, about just simply being there...in such a world wide known, historic, truly INTERNATIONAL airport. We arrived at the AA terminal and i just stared at the stained glass in awe. We taxied to the runway after dark and i cant really describe to you, but i'm sure you know, the feeling of this New york to London flight....i was, for a minute, living that classy, international lifestyle i, for so long, wanted to experience. The night time added even more to the feel as we taxied past so many different airlines from all over the world.....i just cant explain it....its something I'll never forget.

I guess I pre-date you guys by a few years, but my first flight was from the original Idlewild as an unaccompanied minor at the age of eight aboard a TWA Super-G Connie to SFO. I remember being very scared during the night when I saw blue and red flames spewing out of the exhaust manifolds. I thought the plane was on fire.

Later on in the 70s I lived in NYC and often flew out of JFK. TWA and PanAm had very nice accommodations because they were separate, but I remember that the international arrivals and departures terminal was quite a mess with people almost packed on top of each other.

It was exciting. I remember taking a DC6B out of JFK to Europe in 1961. More recently in the Heyday of TWA I flew into teh TWA hub for a tranfer to overseas and it was exicitng with flights going all over Europe-I still remember the different languages and the different "dialects" of English and remember hearing someone from an Englsih speaking country overseas and a New Yorker both speaking English but who could not understasnd each other!

Back in the early 80's I drove with my Dad all the way from Canada to New York City just to check out the Pan Am Worldport. We spent a couple of days parked on the roof watching the show, you could almost reach out and touch the Pan Am DC-10's and B747's parked at their gates. Lot's of B747's, DC-10's and L1011's, TWA and Pan Am seemed to own the place. Other memories include Ransome Dash-7's, Avianca B707's, and that Pan Am helicopter (Bell 222?) service they used to run. I had the scanner with me and will never forget the JFK Tower controller, in his thick New York accent ... "Clipper 105 Kennedy Tower runway 22R winds 220 at 5 ... CLEARED TO LAND". Fond memories for a kid with dreams of one day flying those big jets.

I remember those Pan Am Helicopters! I also remember how futuristic the TWA terminal was with that enormous window in the middle, 74's and 1011's were right there in your face! And the walk through those tunnels to the gates......awesome. I am glad Jetblue is saving the front of that terminal, it is shaping up to be really cool! I always thought it was nice to see the TWA terminal in Microsoft FS, although I have not flown my FS in a lot of years, I can remember when I used to taxi my FS aircraft right up to TWA.

I am really happy to see so many of you interested in this thread....Anthony

Back in the summer of 1978 my dad took me spotting at the roof of the Pan Am terminal at JFK. I still have my notes from those days and aircraft like PA B707's, DL DC-8's and aircraft of all major european airliners (mostly DC-10 and B747's) flew all to JFK. JFK was in those days still about the only main airport to enter on the US on the east coast from Europe. I also remember we were not the only ones at the PA terminal enjoying the planes; other spotters enjoyed it too. I am wondering if there is a spotter area at JFK now?

I remember back in the 70's when I was a kid, they used to allow us to get off the plane at enroute halts and roam around, examining the underside of the aircraft and pretty much do anything we wished....that was all gone by the 80's, when security started to get stricter....

I will never forget those times when you could drive on the Pan Am terminal parking roof, park your car up to the railing and watch the European flights come in and watch them leave later on the day. I don't know if some of you remember sitting on the roofs of the emergency exists located on the roof, it had a slight incline and you could lie on your back. Many of the European airlines flew different types of aircraft on same day, BA 747, 707, VC-10, Concorde. LH 747, 707, DC-10, EI 707 747, IB 747 DC-8, DC 10. Remember Laker DC-10 , Iran Air 747SP, Saudia 747SP, South African 747SP, Varig flew the 707's and DC-10 and of course SAS used to fly to JFK with 747's I think those times had great types of planes, you hardly saw any Regionals. One day I will get a scanner that will enable me to share my many pictures of JFK.

Quoting Jaysit (Reply 11): On the ground side, each airline designed and decorated its own concourse (or section ) as it deemed fit. The best were SAS, Air India, KLM.

I flew thru' JFK on AI couple of times in the 80's and remember the distinctive AI departure section. EL Al and Viasa were on either side of AI at that time....are you saying it's no longer that way? How is it done now....?

I loved going with my parents to the airport when they would drop off family members for overseas flights, mostly EL AL. Anyone remember their location in the old International arrivals bldg, with that tiled floor that made it impossible to pull the luggage, the beautiful decor? Any pics of that?

We'd drive by all the hangars on the ORIGINAL JFK access road, I loved looking at the TWA 747's and L-1011's parked there....avidly reading each parking sign with the endless list of airlines... getting out in the parking lot and hearing the takeoff roars of the departing planes....seeing Concorde at the gate, the distinguished BA aircraft at their own terminal.....remember seeing an SAA SP with that HUGE orange tail....

I also liked the old IAB, the arched roof and the outdoor viewing area...Aer Lingus 747's were always there....the black plastic seats with the B/W TV that you could watch for 25 cents...looking down at the customs exit area from the second floor through the plate glass windows....ground floor with all the carrier's help booths....the flags hanging everywhere....

Quoting Jaysit (Reply 11):What I loved about the main international terminal at JFK was that each major airline had its own section of the terminal to which you drove up to for all departing flights. Entry was on the ground floor, where you checked in, then took an escalator up to the second floor which was the departure floor. On the ground side, each airline designed and decorated its own concourse (or section ) as it deemed fit. The best were SAS, Air India, KLM.

Ditto!

How about those old black flip signs at each gate, they'd just start chugging away, flipping through a gazillion airlines and a million different destinations.....loved watching that too!

Once was in T5, but as a kid I did not appreciate the significance of it until I got hooked on a.net...

We always would go to the Worldport afterwards to walk around the circle and see all the Pan Am's getting ready to depart for exotic destinations. I loved it!

Like some of the older a.netters, I remember Idlewild...taking my grandmother there..I'd guess in the 50s for flights to Finland...SAS..stops in Gander and who knows where else to get there aboard a DC-6...then taking a '6 myself
to AMS in '63 for a summer in Europe. One strong memory of the Idlewild days...wooden sidewalks (duckboards??) outside...
TPAnx

Quoting BA747400 (Reply 18):I kid you not, i have said time and time again that if i could go back, just for ONE night to TWA's T5 i would be the happiest man alive

I think about this quite often...I wasn't alive during the glory days of TWA and the Worldport, but I did spend a decent amount of time there in the late 1990s...I would kill for just one more night there...Truly classy travel.

Quoting PanAm92 (Reply 27):One day I will get a scanner that will enable me to share my many pictures of JFK.

Please do!

"Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon"

I was in 1st or 2nd grade in the Bronx in 1970-1971. We had a school field trip to JFK! First we were brought to a corner of the airport to see the airport firefighters in training. There was this old blackened carcass of a fuselage that the firefighters ignited with gasoline -- a HUGE ball of black smoke went up into the air -- I can't imagine that happening today. Then the firefighters went to work and extinguished the blaze. After that we went and boarded a Pan Am 747 (via stairs from the tarmac) for a tour -- to this day that is STILL the only time that I have been on the upper deck of a 747!

The other posters are correct -- JFK was 747-City in the 1970s (pre twinjet era) -- if you were on a European flight at around 6PM you would see dozens and dozens of 747s while taxiing! I did get to fly out of TWA terminal in 1979 -- tons of 747s and L-1011s.

I was a passrider (Dad worked at Eastern), so we spent a lot of time waiting for flights, so I spent a lot of time on the observation deck of the International Arrivals Building and also sitting in those cheezie black plastic seats with the little B&W TVs - which someone else already mentioned!

My first flight alone and to Europe was through JFK on TWA back in 1985. I flew from MSY to JFK first and then had a 5 hour layover. It was fantastic just sitting there watching all the planes come in. I was sitting next to two older men who were wrongly identifying most of the planes. Here I was, a 15 yr old, and I was able to identify them whilst they were mere specks in the distance. The shear number and variety of planes and airlines at that airport is what makes it so great. It was the first and only time I've seen the concorde.

My second trip through JFK was 3 weeks ago, and I was like that little kid again. My wife shakes her head that I have more photos from the airport than I do from any single day of our vacation. Granted, the variety of planes is not as great as it used to be back when luggage was hard sided and did not have wheels, but the number of airlines is still dense.

Quoting Ealflyer (Reply 32):I was in 1st or 2nd grade in the Bronx in 1970-1971. We had a school field trip to JFK!

I've only been hanging out around JFK since around 2000, and as I mentioned in a previous reply to this thread I still find it a fascinating place. I have a couple of JFK anecdotes about kids and JFK. One of my first JFK visits was while the Concorde was in operation, and I took my wife down there specifically to see the arrival of the BA Concorde. Not knowing any good spots, I looked on a map and found a public park right across the Belt Parkway from the Ramada Hotel. I still find this an excellent spot to watch the action on 13L, but now that I'm into photography I've found it's not ideal in that regard due to the lighting and angle. At any rate, we got to the park well before the arrival of the Concorde and saw quite a show as it was the height of the afternoon European arrival rush. A340s, 777s, 747s, DC-10s, you name it screamed overhead. And right on queue "Speedbird Concorde 001 Heavy" made its approach and flew majestically overhead. The park was full of local kids playing, and while this show was playing out not a single one of them that I could see batted an eyelash at all this amazing traffic. Not even the Concorde was enough to make them stop what they were doing. I was amazed.

More recently, I went to "The Mounds" on the Runway 22L approach, which is adjacent to a soccer field. There was a game in progress and the teams looked to be around 8th grade age or so. It was apparent that one team was from the 'burbs while the other was local. The suburban team was having a tough time, and finally their coach stopped play and called them together - I could hear his conversation quite clearly from my vantage point. "I know the airplanes are interesting, but YOU HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON THE GAME!!". The local team definitely had the advantage on this one!

Quoting Ealflyer (Reply 32):The other posters are correct -- JFK was 747-City in the 1970s (pre twinjet era) -- if you were on a European flight at around 6PM you would see dozens and dozens of 747s while taxiing! I did get to fly out of TWA terminal in 1979 -- tons of 747s and L-1011s.

There are still a decent number of 747's and other three and four-engine widebodies - no L1011's but you still see the odd DC-10 and MD-11:

I took that from my house! Unfortunately I never seem to have my camera ready when a 747 flies overhead...

If you drive by JFK on the ramp from the Van Wyck onto the Belt Parkway, you will usually see 4-5 747's right in front of you - that's where Atlas Air, Evergreen and Kalitta park theirs. But some pax airlines still fly 747's into JFK too - I always seem to be outside when KAL flies overhead (one of these days I'm gonna get a shot of that bugger), but I still see plenty of others too. It's not like it was, for sure, but there's still a lot of interesting stuff to see coming out of JFK.

I'm tired of being a wanna-be league bowler. I wanna be a league bowler!

JFK has always been and will always be my favorite airport. The rooftop parking at the old Pan Am world port was open as recently as 2000. It closed in 2001 I believe.

I spent so much time at JFK in my teens. There was nothing I loved more than getting up on a saturday morning and driving down to JFK just to walk around Delta's terminal or the IAB and then head over to the customs parking lot.

I actually have a video that I took back in 1993 from the customs parking lot of about 100-120 arrivals on 13L and a few departures from it as well. Its pretty amazing video, Delta A310's, BEX Bae146's, TWA 74's and L1011's, etc. Lot's of stuff you'll never see in person again. I am going to try and transfer it over to DVD and maybe then I'll share it with people.

Quoting AIRBUSRIDER (Reply 6):my friend and I were 18 years old, we thought we were so cool getting on a flight there to go to Florida

Quoting BA747400 (Reply 18):i cant help but believe that the class and elegance of air travel brought forward by the 70's holds at least some drive for each member here.

Back then there was a mystique about flying, it was a unique and special experience. Going to the airport was exciting enough but actually flying somewhere was a BIG DEAL. Today it is transportation to most people, nothing more.

spent '75-85 in South Ozone Park and spent the weekends on the rooftop with my father. Best memories were the few times that Concorde used 22 to depart. I'd sit there wondering where she was, where the sound was coming from and all of a sudden she would dart out of nowhere, in mid rotation.

I was/am still a bonafide Concorde nut but love all aircraft. In 2003, I finally flew on Concorde. As I got to talkin to the pilot I asked how long he'd been flying and he said since '76, to which I said, "wow, I've been watching you since I was 3 years old "

I still like ot go there occasionally and watch...wx pending I'll be out there Monday with one other Anetter.

Actually, one of my friends has a website with some videos from that rooftop....I think its fromtheflightdeck.com and he's got a few videos. Its old footage but what a way to relive the momories!

I have fond memories of JFK. Flying PA to Germany in 1976 when I was 7. Going with my family to pick up relatives off of AZ and TW from Italy. Good memories of the TWA terminal and having a soda at the bar watching Concorde lift off. Flying to GIG on RG from the old IAB back in '87. Wow, what a place!

"Flown every aircraft since the Wright Flyer" (guys, if you take this literally, then you need to get a life...)

Quoting Jaysit (Reply 11):What I loved about the main international terminal at JFK was that each major airline had its own section of the terminal to which you drove up to for all departing flights. Entry was on the ground floor, where you checked in, then took an escalator up to the second floor which was the departure floor. On the ground side, each airline designed and decorated its own concourse (or section ) as it deemed fit. The best were SAS, Air India, KLM.

Yes! My family would often go to the IAB "International Restaurant" for things like Mother's Day. It was very good food (primarily buffet) and the view looking out over the two piers of the terminal was great. There was even an observations deck!

Speaking of the good ol' days...remember the 3 houses of worship that sat in the parking lot? IIRC one of them, (Our Lady of the Skies?) had models of different aircraft hanging from the ceiling.

These are good days at JFK, a slew of 747s and A340s,morning ,noon,and night, the occasional rogue DC-8, 9,707, or three holer ,and a veritable smorgasbord of airlines representing every corner of the globe, this from a guy who remembers Loftleider Cl-44s,BOAC VC10s, New York Airways Boeing Vertol 107s(and S-61s),and the piercing scream of those 1st generation 707,DC8,and CV880s doing the pylon turn on the Canarsie approach at 500' AGL over S.Ozone park,(my oldest sod). I have been blessed to fly that approach in a freightdog DC3 ('94),and a charter 727 ('03). Every NYC layover I try to wend my way back to the streets of my youth, where my flying dreams were germinated. God bless JFK,and all us geeks who love it! PS. I miss Concorde !

the rumble of round engines is like music to me,likewise the thunder of thr JT8D